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Lost village

Cwm Elan

Elan Valley, Powys

The drowned houses where the poet Shelley once stayed.

Between 1893 and 1904, Birmingham built a chain of great dams in the Elan Valley to carry water 73 miles to the city. Around 100 people were moved out, and their houses, farms, school and chapel were drowned.

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When
Flooded 1890s–1904
Where
52.2700, -3.5800
Group
Lost & drowned villages

Visiting

The Elan Valley visitor centre has walks, cycle trails and views of the dams.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

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